The archaeological challenge

Prior to the development of the Olympic Park, and the building of its sporting venues and infrastructure, a comprehensive programme of archaeological evaluation and excavation was undertaken. In total, 122 archaeological evaluation trenches were opened, targeted where possible on land that would be directly impacted on by the development. Archaeological remains found at eight of these locations were of such significance that they were subject to a further phase of mitigation excavation. However, the practicalities of undertaking these investigations posed major challenges to the archaeologists digging and interpreting the sites.